


The Runaway

by MayLovelies



Category: Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Family, Friendship, Multi, Romance, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-18
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2019-03-06 08:33:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13407441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MayLovelies/pseuds/MayLovelies
Summary: Anakin's life takes a dramatic turn when he foresees Darth Vader in his future. Fearing for what is to come, Anakin leaves the Order one night in secret , in hopes of avoiding falling to the darkness.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was a oneshot for writing wenesday but i decided to make it longer.

* * *

The man in a black metal suit had haunted Anakin’s dreams for months, and until now, he hadn’t known who he was.

It wasn’t like he stopped and asked either. For it simply wasn’t the metal man’s attire and stature that terrified Anakin, but it was also the fact that this man was attempting to kill Anakin in every nightmare he  had. Red saber, flowing black cape, all coming toward Anakin. He had heard of siths before, had even read about them in the library—but to face one, even in his dream was terrifying. The dreams also occurred at the same place, same setting, same time…

A planet filled with smoke and gas, flowing lava and dark mountains. The sky was red, and the sun dimly lit the valley of magma below—nevertheless, it was a place out of a nightmare. Anakin’s nightmare and for months, that is what he believed it to be, his  _nightmare._ However, he was wise enough to know his own abilities with the Force, and when that nightmare started to play before his very eyes during the hours of the day he knew something was up. When the nightmare manifested itself as a vision during mediation or training, rendering him helpless and afraid, it was evident to Anakin that this was no longer a nightmare. It was a vision.

The turning point had to be in his dream…when he heard the voice of his master, the words _“You were my brother Anakin…I loved you….”_ he heard more screams, more cries and then he felt pain. A searing pain, like fire all around him and that pain never subsided. And he saw  _himself,_ as that metal man. It was  _him,_ on a planet of fire, for the rest of his life. He knew it was no longer a nightmare, but a foresight and the more he meditated, the more Anakin realized being in the Order would only lead to this.

So that night, as the temple slept, Anakin packed. He packed his saber, some clothes, money , food and a few more extra things before he darted down the hallways in the darkness of the night.

He’d been planning this for some time, and each night when he told himself he’d leave, he couldn’t. He’d let the comfort of the Order trick him, but this was something he  _had_ to do. Anakin had tried to explain these visions to Obi-Wan, but he didn’t listen…and he didn’t understand. How could he though? Anakin knew having accurate foresight was rare, and not a lot of people could understand it.

 _“Mediate Anakin, let the Force guide you and help you understand the darkness festering in your heart…”_ Obi-Wan had said, calm and collected as usual.  _“Don’t let it consume you Anakin…”_

Anakin remembered those words, and took them to heart, but they didn’t really help him. Staying in the temple and mediating wasn’t going to prevent those nightmares from becoming reality, so he had to take matters into his own hands.  

By his side, R2 as usual followed in silence, save for the hum of his insides.

They’d dodged and hidden from a number of temple guards and by now were at the shipyard. “When we get situated, set a course for Tatooine…that’s our first stop.”

R2 responded in annoyance, saying something about the low fuel and this specific ships preset coordinates, but Anakin didn’t listen. He had this whole thing planned out for a while, the escape, where he planned to live and what he planned to work as. But first, he had a job to do.

Every part of his plan had been laid perfectly before him but this part was at the spur of the moment. When he left Tatooine years ago,  he swore to never return and to never look back. But he had to now. Because while Anakin received visions of his impending doom, he also started to very recently have nightmares of his mother. These dreams were graphic and more terrifying than his own demise…so he couldn’t let that happen, he couldn’t lose his mom. Not f he could help it.

He’d go to Tatooine, save her and they’d move far away from all of this.

“R2, get the engines started!” Anakin commanded as he climbed into the ship. “We’ve got a long journey ahead of us!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is chapter two of runaway! I hope you enjoy!

It was first R2’s screaming that woke a young Anakin, followed by the all to annoying blare of the low fuel sirens. The lights were flashing on and off by the time Anakin finally woke up, obscuring his vision and nearly blinding him

 

“R2? What’s wrong?” He asked, attempting to regain control of the ship and identify whatever problem was causing the alarms to sound. The astromech sang a series of urgent beeps, resulting in Anakin sighing in annoyance. “Why didn’t you tell me we were low on fuel before we left?”

 

More beeps in response, angry this time, gaining a glare from Anakin. “Don’t get smart with me! I know we were in a rush , but you could have--” The ship forcefully jerked itself out of hyperspace as the fuel began to deplete. In Anakin’s viewer, a medium blue planet came into view. The majority of it was covered in a cloudy surface, or at least that was what Anakin could see from where he was.

 

Thousands of miles away, a full moon stood stationary, shining little light on the planet’s surface.

 

“Any idea where we are? What system this is? Or better yet, what planet is that?” R2 was near a second away from responding when the gravitational pull took hold of their empty ship.”Well I guess we’ll figure out buddy.”  Anakin spoke, feelingly slightly nervous and uneasy. He nor R2 had any knowledge of what system this was, for all he knew, this could have been enemy territory. He had been asleep for the duration of the trip and was not at all sure how far the two of them had travelled since then.

 

Now, as the ship grew closer and closer to the planet, Anakin knew that there was no getting out of this one. He could only hope that whoever lived on the planet was friendly.

 

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

 

The crash was not as bad as Anakin expected.

 

There was a bit of fire here and there, but luckily he and R2 had landed in water. Water seemed to make up about 90% of the planet's surface, for there was hardly any land in sight. However, Anakin and R2 had been washed up on some sort of shore with their ship washing up with them. It was in tact, save for some damage to the front and of course, an empty tank. After some searching in the interior of the ship, Anakin had uncovered a spare fuel tank. It wouldn’t be enough to get them to Tatooine he figured (from wherever this planet was), but they could certainly get off of this planet and find another, more populated one.

 

Currently Anakin was underneath the ship, while R2 was on the rear.

 

Both diligently worked in silence, repairing all they could for safe trip  out of this system. Anakin was extremely thankful for the water landing; if they hit the rugged terrain their ship would have been destroyed.

 

“How are we doing over there R2?” Anakin called from the air-craft’s under belly. The astromech responded quickly, getting back to his side of the ship.

 

“That’s good, so maybe in about an hour or two, we should be able to get out of here.”

 

Hesitantly, the droid responded, yet questioned his master.

 

“Well R2, it’s been nearly three hours and no one has come to greet us. No welcoming party or anything. My best guess is that no one knows we’re here and I want to keep it that way.” Another series of annoyed beeps. “Just get your stuff done R2. The quicker we work, the quicker we can leave.” He seeped back under the ship. “I have a bad feeling about this planet.”

 

As Anakin continued to work, he couldn’t help but feel slightly annoyed at his actions or more so his lack of focus. He was foolish to fall asleep when he knew the dangers ahead of him. He should have also listened to R2 back on Coruscant; the droid was telling him something about the fuel but Anakin was far too igneous to listen to him, and to actually plan this whole thing out. If he had taken a more responsible approach, they would not have been here in the first place.  

 

Though, falling asleep not too long after he had boarded the ship wasn’t because he was lazy or even tired...Anakin was attempting to sense his mother; attempting to dream about her in any way possible so he could at least know how she was, and if she was okay. However, during that short period, no dreams came to him. Only the blinding glare of lights, and deafening sound of an alarm.

 

For about three more hours, the two worked until they repaired what they could. Anakin had refilled the fuel tank and hopped back in the ship with R2. After reviewing the preset coordinates, he erased them and in put his own, setting a proper course to Tatooine.

 

“There are some friendly planets from here to there where we can refuel. This spare tank won’t take us all the way.” The entrance hatch began to close as R2 made sure to lock spare doors and other openings. “So in a day we should make it to the next port...after that, we’re going into uncharted territory...so we need to keep our heads low.”

 

R2 responded in a worried kind of way, causing Anakin to frown.

 

“No R2. We don’t have a plan, not yet...” He groaned, coming to realization that this was not as easy as he thought. Not that he thought it would be easy anyway, but still R2 was right. Lack of planning had ended them up on this planet in the first place.

 

Anakin began to fidget a few buttons, and slowly the broken ship began to rise. It swayed from here to there, making Anakin a bit nervous but after a few moments, they were in space. “Ready to make the jump buddy?”

 

R2 beeped as Anakin pulled one of the many levers.  The ship then stopped briefly and in the viewer, the small stars slowly melted into blending streaks and before Anakin knew it, they were in hyperspace, miles away from that planet.

 

Anakin opened his mouth to sigh, however, someone else beat him to it...

 

Before Anakin could turn around to look, R2 was screaming at the top of his circuits. High pitched beeps of alarm were heard throughout the ship as Anakin stood out of his seat to investigate. “Who is it R2? Is it an intruder?”

 

He didn’t even get a foot away from his chair when he noticed R2 investigating something in the corner. Anakin joined his droid’s side and was immediately taken back by a boy, huddled in the corner. He wore tattered clothes that were ripped and dirty. Anakin saw bruises on his arms, and his face (well what he could see from his face) and next to him was a medium sized bag. He was shaking slightly, moving  against the wall as he stared up at Anakin , and then back at R2 who continued to prod at him.

 

“R2 cut it out.” Anakin commanded, observing the intruder.

 

He felt nothing sinister or evil from this boy. He did however feel a lot of fear, and confusion, yet at the same time a great amount of relief. Anakin and R2 were not at all aware of their surroundings back on that planet, so while they were working on repairing the ship this boy could have easily snuck on. He was probably there for hours, hiding, just waiting to get off of the planet. By the look of the bruises covering his brown skin and his distressed expression, Anakin figured that whoever hurt him was on the planet they just left.

 

“Look, my name is Anakin Skywalker.” He bent down a bit and extended his hand. The boy did not shake it. “Okay then...” Anakin stood back up. “I know whatever hurt you is on that planet. Don’t think I’ll make you go back, because I won’t but...I don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into with me and R2.” _We don’t have a plan. And by the end of this we’ll probably all be dead._

He wanted to say in a joking manner, but knew it wasn’t the appropriate time.

 

R2’s beeping interrupted his thought, urging Anakin to just drop the boy off on the nearest planet.

 

“No R2, we can’t do that.” Anakin responded, taking off his cloak and draping it over the shaking visitor. “We’ll probably need an extra pair of hands anyway. And it gets a little cold in here, so keep that.”

 

He turned around, heading toward his seat and sitting back down. He knew he should have been more skeptical, but this poor boy was not a threat. Anakin had seen countless situations like this, where someone who was obviously abused did not feel like speaking. He wouldn’t force him too, but he knew he couldn’t abandon him. Anakin didn’t know why, but he felt this boy would be helpful to them in the future.

 

Ten minutes of strange and awkward silence passed by. Not even R2 beeped.

 

It was the young boy who made the first move. Anakin hadn’t even noticed him walking over to the empty seat next to his, and sitting down, still holding the cloak around him. He didn’t look at, nor acknowledge that Anakin was next to him. He just stared outside, his eyes wide.

 

“It looks nice right? The stars.” Anakin didn’t expect a response, so he continued to speak. “I guess, you and I are alike.”

 

The boy, to his surprise, turned to face him. He didn’t say a word, only stared at Anakin, beckoning him to continue.

 

“A runaway, like me. I ran way from my home, you ran away from yours...” He shrugged. “Guess that has a nice ring to it...we’re runaways.”

 

The boy (who was probably a teenager, around Anakin’s age), looked back toward the glass and didn’t say a word. Anakin merely reflected on what he had just said, letting the words sink. He didn’t fit in as Jedi...no amount of Force abilities or encouragement for his peers would convince him otherwise.  

 

So maybe this is what he was meant to be...a runaway. Well at that moment, it was the only thing he could think to call himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! If you know my writing u probably know what planet anakin crash landed on and who that boy is. if not, that's fine! All will be revealed in the upcoming chapters lol. 
> 
> If you liked it, please comment it will make me happy!! 
> 
> Thank you all for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for the comments on the previous chapter. I will try to update this chapter without any more accidental links or anything lol.

They’d gotten to the port quicker than they had planned and by that time, as Anakin expected their ship was not only empty, but had suffered even more damage. How it would get them Tatooine, let alone get them into space,  Anakin had absolutely no idea. Even taking a step back and looking at it, he was surprised it got them this far.

 

He didn’t ponder on it too much however, they needed to move. The trio left it at a repair shop inside the port hoping for the best, as the mechanic said he’d be able to see their ship in no more than a day. Anakin didn’t like how long they’d be here but , but at the moment he hardly had a choice.  Luckily he was familiar with this planet, and knew where to find a pretty decent INN and places to get food. They didn’t have that much stuff to carry, so walking to their lodging was not difficult at all.

 

When they finally got in the room, Anakin was the first to plop himself on the bed, groaning at the mere thought of being stuck here if their ship didn’t work. 

 

“Any ideas R2? If our ship doesn’t fly, maybe I can build you a hyper drive and we can get to Tatooine that way.” He joked. 

 

R2 responded even more sarcastically, saying something along the lines of Anakin being too heavy for him. Anakin threw a pillow toward the droid, but he quickly moved out of the way. However, Anakin did hit a target with the pillow. Standing there, still clutching his bag, and wearing an oversized cloak was the silent boy.  Anakin sat up and smiled, moving over a bit. 

 

“Come on kid, you don’t have to stand. We have a big few days ahead of us.” He beckoned the boy to come near him, but he remained where he was. Anakin ended up standing up and walking over to the armchair near the foot of the bed. It was then the boy took a few steps forward and finally sat on the mattress. By his expression and the way he ran his hands on the comforter, Anakin was almost certain he’d never slept in a bed before. 

 

“That’s nice, isn’t it? A bed! You can take it, I’ll sleep in the armchair.”  Anakin smiled, as the boy stared at him blankly. He continued to stare until his focus was drawn elsewhere, and that was to his bag. He pulled out a red book and sat up, flipping the pages and reading. 

 

“A book...not a data pad? Isn’t that a little old school?”

 

For the first time, the boy had an expression that wasn’t vivid. He looked somewhat annoyed but went back to reading his book, causing Anakin to chuckle. “Alright kid, I won’t mess with you for a while then. I’m actually about to head out now, get us some food.” He extended a hand. “I’ll need my cloak.” The boy slowly removed it, shivering a bit as the cool air touched his ragged clothing. 

The cloak floated over to Anakin’s hand and he took it, putting it back on. “I’ll be back. R2, you stay here with him.”

 

oOoOoOoOoOo

It was a good thing that Anakin had made sure to take back his cloak, because as he started to witness, this place was truly on the edge of the Republic. Seeing a jedi walking around the street freely would raise some questions, and potentially start a crisis he wanted to avoid.

 

So Anakin kept his head down, and was able to successfully buy new clothes for the boy, and a good amount of food. He didn’t spend too much money, which he anticipated, on clothes or anything like that. 

 

What he did  _ not  _ anticipate however, was the constant beeping of his commlink. He didn’t even have to answer to know it was Obi-Wan, or someone from the Order. Anakin thought that his letter pretty much summed up his reasons for leaving and never returning but, he supposed these people wanted a more, legitimate explanation. 

 

Still, now was not the time for them. He was hungry, and he was quite sure the boy was hungry too, so he needed to get back, and again, figure out an idea for their ship. Anakin hadn’t had anymore nightmares as of late, but he sensed that all too familiar feeling creep back up in his heart. He knew they’d come back soon. 

 

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

 

When Anakin returned to the room, he heard R2 beeping uncontrollably. Anakin at first thought that something had gone wrong, but as he stepped through the threshold, he also heard the silent boy laughing and witnessed R2 putting on some type of show for him. Anakin leaned against the doorframe with a smile on his face, staring at the scene playing out before him. 

 

“I’m back.” Anakin walked through the threshold with the food and clothes. “Seems you two are having a good time.” The boy grew silent as Anakin handed a couple of bags to him. “Here’s a change of clothes...I bought a whole bunch that look your size...we can throw the ones you have on away. And then,” He handed him another. “Here’s some stuff to clean yourself up with, like soap and everything...pretty sure the bathroom’s in good shape.”

 

The boy took the bags in silence and began to rummage through them. Eventually, he pulled out a pair of clothes he liked and for a few minutes, just held them in his hands. “You got all of this, for me?” He asked, speaking for the first time.

 

“Oh well, yeah of course! You can’t go around in rags--”

 

“Thank you.” The boy responded, giving Anakin a genuine, kind smile and taking clothes and bag before he finally vanished to the bathroom. When Anakin heard the shower water come on, he sighed and fell back down on the bed.

 

“I spoke with the mechanic...it’s not looking too good for our ship.”

 

R2 responded in defeat, wheeling toward the bed to comfort his master. “I know buddy, but we can’t give up yet. We’ll get out of here one way or another--” He stopped mid sentence when is comlink began to chirp again. In annoyance, Anakin ripped the device from his pocket and tossed it on the floor. “Why won’t they leave me alone?” He groaned, placing a pillow on his head and attempting to drown out the sounds. 

 

The commlink stopped beeping earlier than expected, causing Anakin to sit up. “That was quick--R2 NO!”

 

He couldn’t even stop the droid from picking up the commlink and opening the channel. As much as Anakin wanted to yell at him, he remained silent. For on the other end of the commlink, the frantic voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi was heard through heavy static.

 

“ _ Anakin! Anakin is that you? _ ” 

 

Anakin was mouthing all types of things to R2, almost daring him to beep. “ _ You are to return to the temple at once, Anakin! You have done something extremely childish and irresponsible! You have no idea how much I’ve had to bargain to let you back into the Order _ \--”

 

That was it. Anakin waltzed over to the commlink, took it from R2 and turned it off. In anger, he threw it on the bed and watched it bounced off. “He’s so selfish, he doesn’t give a shit about me--I’m glad I left, and I’m never going back!” 

 

“You dropped this...” Called a calm voice just a few feet away from the bed. “Your commlink.” Anakin turned to face the boy, who now stood to his full height. He was taller than Anakin thought, but for the most part, still much shorter than Anakin. He looked far cleaner before, and the clothes (a long sleeve tan shirt, dark blue pants and boots) really did compliment him. His hair was a little curly, but that was to be expected. His skin was still medium brown toned, save for the light bruises on his face that were vanishing.

 

Anakin also noticed for the first time that his eyes were different colors; one blue, and one brown. “Thank you,” Anakin walked over to him and gently grabbed the device. “Sorry you had to pick it up.”

 

“It’s fine--did someone get you angry?” 

  
“Well kid, let’s just say I heard someone I’d rather leave in my past.”

The boy chuckled, causing Anakin to raise an eyebrow. “What is it?”

 

“My name isn’t  _ kid, _ my name is Ross.”   _ Ross, _ finally introduced.

 

“Well hello, Ross.” Anakin grinned, sticking out a hand. “Nice to finally meet you.”

 

OoOoOoOoOoO

 

The duo ate (R2 charged) a quick lunch, all the while Ross talked more than he did in the past two days. Anakin could almost feel the joy radiating off of him, and that joy was infectious. Despite the current situation, Anakin couldn't help but smile along with him.

 

“Where to after this?” Ross had asked, throwing his carton away. “You said something about Tatooine?”

 

“About that...” Anakin groaned, laying back down on the bed. “Our ship is really out of commission....I have no idea--”

 

“See if you can trade it for another ship.” Ross sat at the end of the bed. “If I’m correct, you came on a Republic shop...right? Getting a new ship would be both efficient for the sake of us getting out of here  _ and  _ to keep us safe. We’re on the edge of Republic territory, and Tatooine isn’t exactly Republic friendly...” 

 

Anakin rose an eyebrow. “That’s actually....a pretty good idea. Why didn’t you mention that earlier.” 

 

Ross shrugged. 

 

“Well, I’ll head down to the mechanic and see if we can do that. I’ll be back in an hour.”

 

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

 

Anakin was happy when the plan worked, and the next day , Ross, he and R2 were boarding their newly bought, refurbished smuggler’s ship. They had also gotten a bit of extra money with the droid parts Anakin sold to the mechanic. The were airborne and in hyperspace not to long after, with both Anakin and Ross successfully piloting the ship. Anakin had to double take at first, as he wasn’t aware his friend was a pilot.

 

Things were silent for a while until Anakin’s commlink began to beep again. He groaned and shut it off.

 

“Who is it?” Ross asked, not taking his eyes off of the viewer. “On your commlink. It kept beeping while you were gone.”

 

“Oh...just, someone from my past.” Anakin sighed. “Someone who I thought cared about what I wanted, but I guess I was wrong. Always wrong.”

 

“You’re running away?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“You’re a runaway...that’s what you told me. So is this “someone” your dad or something, your mom?”

 

“Certainly not my dad...I never had a dad.” Anakin’s shoulders slightly slumped at that realization. The one person he saw as a father, was Obi-Wan. However, that was early on in his life, and as years progressed, the expectation and dreams he had for Obi-Wan fulfilling a father role seemed to crumble. Obi-Wan was the furthest from a father he ever had--Not that Anakin was upset at him for that. Obi-Wan never took him in to be his father, he took Anakin in to be his master. 

 

“I don’t have a dad either.” Ross responded, sighing. “At least, I don’t consider him my dad.”

 

“Did he do that to you?” Anakin pointed at the faint bruises on his face, and Ross shook his head. 

 

“My teacher.” His tone was empty when he spoke, however, Anakin knew not to press any further, at least not then.  He shifted nervously in his seat before he spoke again, beginning to turn the ship on auto-pilot. “I have a mom though, and that’s who we’re going to save.” Anakin broke the silence. “She’s in danger, I know it. I can’t let her die. That’s why I left, because the people I lived with, they wouldn’t let me save her. Not even if I told them she was in danger.”

 

“It’s a good thing you left then.” Ross reached over and placed a hand on Anakin’s shoulder. “And that’s very noble of you...I hope we save your mom.”

 

“Yeah,” Anakin thought, biting back the familiar feeling of doom lingering in his heart. “I hope so too.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So next chapter! To Tatooine they go! Hope you enjoy! Again, thank you for all the comments and kudos! If you liked it, please tell me!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay!

_ “You will not disobey my orders , Anakin.” Obi-Wan’s voice quiet, but cold rang through the young padawan’s ears as he gazed up at his master, an apologetic look upon his face.  _

 

_ “Sorry master I just...I didn’t mean to disobey you, I just thought--” _

 

_ “There is no reason to continue this conversation--” Obi-Wan turned a sharp gaze toward his student, eyes narrow and filled with anger. “If I tell you to follow my orders, that is what you do. Am I understood?” _

 

_ The boy nodded, his shoulders slumped and he stood silently, watching Obi-Wan vanish down the corridor and  leaving him standing there confused and angry. Anakin had understood that he had disobeyed Obi-Wan’s orders, but it was to save children. Why in the world was his master upset--what had he done wrong?  _

 

_ As the young jedi stood there in the hallway, he couldn’t help but feel an untamed anger rise in his heart. His fists clenched as he bit back the urge to cry out, stopping Obi-Wan in his tracks and demand an apology. He was not wrong for wanting to save people--Obi-Wan was the one who was wrong.  _

 

Oooo

 

He woke to someone lightly shaking his shoulder, only to gaze up and see the worried eyes Ross. R2 was beeping in the corner, mildly concerned with his master. 

 

“Wh..what happened?” Anakin sat up, straightening his posture and looking out of the viewer. “Have we made it to Tatooine?”

 

“No. R2 and I were just worried. You were mumbling in your sleep.” Ross crawled back in his chair, taking his book from the control panels and opening it up.

 

“What book is that?” Anakin asked, still tired but attempting to make an effort to stay up.

 

“The one about art from Naboo...so far this one is my favorite. The architect is so nice...I’d like to visit one day.”

 

“If we get out of this alive , I promise I’ll take you.”

 

Ross smiled at Anakin, promptly looking toward his book to hide a blush. Anakin chuckled.

 

“Who is Obi-Wan?” Ross’ tone was concerned. “You were mentioning his name...in your sleep.”

 

“Sorry if I disturbed you--”

 

“No. You didn’t. Is he someone close to you?”

 

Anakin cast a rather empty look R2’s way as he beeped, beckoning him to tell Ross. Anakin leaned back in his chair. He groaned, rubbing his hands through his hair, and the continuing on. 

 

“He was my old master...my old Jedi master. He and I...I don’t really know what relationship we had. I wanted to please him, I wanted to be the perfect student but I failed him so many times. For years, I thought it was my fault. I don’t know, maybe it was.”  Anakin shrugged. “I know my commlink has been beeping like crazy...it’s him who’s calling. I left without telling him, without telling anyone and I can’t tell anyone now. I can’t answer the commlink..half of me is afraid that if I do...I’ll...”

 

“You’ll go back.” Ross responded, placing his book in his lap. “You’re afraid...you won’t have to power to say no, if he tells you to come back?”

 

“Yeah?” Anakin sounded unsure, but for days he’d been trying to find a way to put  _ that  _ into words. There were many reasons he didn’t want to speak to his old master but Ross, had perfectly rationalized his deepest fear.  “He had such a hold of me when I was a padawan and just hearing him now,  well...”

 

“I know.” Ross smiled, leaning over and rubbing Anakin’s shoulder. “You don’t have to speak to him if you’re not ready. You don’t ever have to.”  

 

He shrugged, leaning back into his own chair. “I don’t know much about the Jedi but I do know that...you shouldn’t blame yourself for not being someone that others want you to be. You can’t please someone who doesn’t care about pleasing you.” 

 

Ross took his book again, leaning back in his chair and flipping the pages. Meanwhile, Anakin, hunched forward , pondered on what his new friend had said. He was far too tired to make full sense of it then but in all truth, it made him feel a lot better. He wasn’t brought to the temple to please Obi-Wan, he wasn’t born to be molded into the perfect little padawan that bent to his master’s will. He was his own person, and he’d never go back. He’d never risk losing the freedom he now had. 

 

Anakin however, knew that the fault wasn’t only on Obi-Wan. The whole system, this idea of masters and padawans...this idea of the Jedi, was flawed. Obi-Wan was only exercising the rules and skills he’d been taught. He only knew how to be that way, it was the only way he believed would make him a good jedi. As angry as Anakin was at his master, he pitied him and hoped that perhaps one day, Obi-Wan had the strength and the mind to leave the Order.

 

He leaned back into his chair, eyes closed as the ship continued in its path toward his home planet. However, he sat back up, curious and gazed over toward Ross. “What planet did you say you were from?

“I never did.” Ross didn’t peel his gaze from his book. “I assumed you knew.”

 

“No...”

 

“Kamino.” 

 

“Ahh...I’ve only heard stories.” Anakin responded, knowing full well he practically knew nothing about Kamino...only a bit about cloning, which was probably a myth. “I’m going back to sleep.”

 

“Want me to turn off the lights?” Ross asked. “I’m getting tired too.”

 

“R2’s got it.” 

 

There was an annoyed beep from R2 followed by the lights going dim. Both boys chuckled for  a few seconds before pulling their cloaks tighter over their bodies to find warmth, and sinking back in their chairs.

 

“Good night , Anakin.” Ross whispered. 

 

“Good night , Ross...” Anakin gazed his direction, though he could not see him. “Thank you so much for what you said...I needed it.”

 

Before there was any reply, he felt a hand reach over to him in the darkness. Anakin was quick to take hold of Ross hand, squeezing it in his own. 

 

“You’re welcome...” He whispered.

 

ooooo

 

The comfort and ease only lasted for a few hours. 

 

As their sleep continued, Anakin felt restless. Visions plagued his mind , making it near impossible for him to get any rest. He eventually took to walking around the ship before he sat down again, staring outside of the starry viewer. Half of him wanted to wake Ross, just for the sake of hearing his voice and eliminating the silence but he decided against it.

 

These were visions he needed to face alone. No amount of advice from Ross could help. These were not visions of the past Anakin was having, these were nightmares and premonitions of the future. These were visions of his mother. 

 

Closing his eyes, Anakin took a deep breath. 

 

They were getting close he knew it, but they needed to hurry. The nightmares weren’t just getting worse but a far more realistic. 

 

Anakin could almost feel her touch, hear her screams....she was right there next to him. 

 

They  _ had  _ to hurry. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So next chapter will be Tatooine before. I just wanted to focus on a chapter that kind of went over Obi-Wan and Anakin’s relationship. Or at least a chapter that will pave way to what will happen later on in this story when or if they meet. But next chapter, certainly Tatooine. 
> 
> If you like it , please comment and tell me what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating this chapter any sooner! I hope you enjoy this update!

 

It was the sound of blaring alarms and the flash of lights that woke Anakin from his dream. 

As he focused his vision, he noticed Ross hovering above the weapons panel, flipping switches on and glaring at the viewer.

 

“Ross?” Anakin called, joining his partner. “What’s wrong?”

 

“See for yourself.” Ross spoke calmly amidst the alarm. “We’ve just entered the system but...it seems we aren’t the only ones. Just an hour or so after we entered orbit, we were attacked from the rear and R2 and I suspect they are bounty hunters. We’re fine now...I was able to evade another attack but...look there,” He pointed. “They’re looking at our every move.”

 

Anakin did indeed see a slightly larger ship an uncomfortable distance away from their own.

 

Their adversary was more than likely a bounty hunter who had seen them as a rival or enemy. Or even just some outterrim scum who needed to test his aim. Regardless, Anakin expected this. This was the Tatoo System after all.

 

R2 made a noise again.

 

“He thinks they’ll fire again. How are the weapons on this thing?” Anakin inclined, hovering over the panel himself. This certainly wasn’t a republic ship (or outer rim ship at that). These controls and levers were written in languages Anakin hadn’t ever seen before.

 

“Not state-of-the-art , but we should be good. The ship itself has already survived a bit of fire, we should be fine for the time--”

 

Ross was silenced as another blast hit their ship, nearly knocking both boys over. Anakin was quick to catch Ross and balance him back on his feet. Ross didn’t hesitate to fire back, pulling more levers and returning to his own seat where he grabbed the controls. “Had to warm up the guns.” He narrowed his eyes, pressing the lever. Anakin watched in silence as Ross accurately burned out the enemy ship’s cannons. Not a second after, he fired their own cannons again, completely obliterating the ship before them. 

 

Anakin sat down, his eyes widened as he gazed at Ross. “How did you know how to do that? You precision...accuracy! You’re only a kid and--”

 

“I still have a lot to tell you...but later.” He cast Anakin a soft smile.

 

“Tatooine is only a few hundred kilometers away. If we put the thrusters on high, we should be there within the next hours or so.” Anakin took hold of the main controls. “Can’t say I’m too happy to be back.”

 

“You aren’t back yet, and besides, it’s to save your mother.” Ross responded. “Sending full power to the thrusters.”

 

The ship jerked for a moment, it’s speed slowly picking up as it grew closer and closer to the unevenly beige covered planet. Anakin could already feel a mixture of emotions forming as they approached.  All the memories that he thought he’d buried began to rise again, and within the next hour, the atmosphere took hold of them.

 

“Beginning descent.” Ross spoke quietly.

 

“Acknowledged.” Anakin joked, giving his co-pilot a smile. Ross smiled back, though quickly looking away to avoid Anakin’s stare. “You know, my mom would probably like you, Ross. I can’t wait for you to meet her.”

 

“O...Oh.” Responded Ross, caught off guard. “That will be nice--”

 

The ship shook violently, nearly knocking them both out of their seats. It was Anakin readjusted himself first, looking out of the viewer and the rear cameras. “More bounty hunters!”

 

“Look like backup finally arrived!” Ross spoke over the blaring alarms. “Our engines...they’re out--”

 

Another blast threw the ship off axis and violently penetrated its interior. Anakin’s first option would have been to fix the destruction, however another blast knocked him over and in result, he hit his head, hard. After that, things went dark. 

 

OoOoOoOoOoOo

 

_ He cradled a dying woman in his arms, feeling even the smallest life in her dwindle.  _

 

_ Yet he didn’t give up a shred of hope. He held her close, softly calling out to her...just hoping she’d open her eyes. Just hoping she’d wake up. If not, this would have all been for nothing.  _

 

_ “Annie...” The voice was just slight of a whisper yet enough to warm Anakin’s heart. “I’m so proud of you...” _

 

_ His heart lit up with warmth for only a slight moment for still, he could feel her force dwindling like water between his fingers. _

 

_ “Mother...stay...with me...” _

 

_ Stay with me! I did this all for you! _

 

_ “Annie, I love you...” _

 

_ OoOoOoOoOoOoO _

 

He woke to slight headache. 

 

Yet as he sat up, he discovered the headache was the least of his concerns. His eyes widened as the gaping hole in the ships ceiling became clearer. All around the interior was burned metal and broken appliances. In addition to that, he realized that he was by himself.

 

“Ross, R-R2....” He drifted when he realized the powerful ray of sunlight shining through the hole and resting on his face.  _ We crashed... _ He started to remember as he forced himself to stand. “Was I the only one who survived?” He thought aloud, stumbling toward the already open hatch.  His eyes met first, a vast sandy terrain. Not a tree in sight, only the dim silhouette of buildings on the horizon. 

 

_ The horizon.  _ Anakin needed to only look up a few feet to see the binary suns in the distant. Roaring in radiance as they looked down upon the planet.

 

“I’m made it....we made it.” He mumbled. “I’m home.”

 

He was disrupted by the sound of laughter from below and to his surprise, Ross was on the surface of the sand rolling around in it. Anakin groaned.

 

“Ross...” He jumped to the ground from the ship, kneeling to his friend’s level. “Stop, you’ll get sand everywhere.”

 

“What,” Ross responded making angels in the grains. “You don’t like sand? I’ve never touched or seen it before in real life. I’ve only heard of it, and seen it in books.”

 

He was making ‘snow angels’, getting small particles on Anakin. He stood and dusted himself off. 

 

“I don’t like sand...it’s...ugh, forget it.” He gazed back toward the ship, then down at his friend. “What happened?”

 

“We were attacked by some more bounty hunters and crashed. Luckily I was able to change our course...so the impact wasn’t as bad. Also I  had you propped up just in case you had a concussion. R2 said that was what I was supposed to do.”

 

“You saved us.” Anakin noted, thankful. “Where’d you learn how to fly?”

 

Ross looked up, smiling at the compliment. “It’s a secret.”

 

“Just like how aim and accuracy?” 

 

“Secret, I’ll tell you later.” He sat up, and dusted himself off. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost...or....was it another nightmare.”

 

Anakin nodded at the latter, as he gazed up at the horizon. The town was a lot closer than he thought, and would only take a couple hours to get there if they walked fast. Even faster if they could repair this ship, which seemed hopeless.  _ Walking it is.  _ Anakin sighed, extending a hand toward Ross. “The city...it’s a lot closer than we think.”

 

“Why are we going there? Shouldn’t we be looking for your mom?”

 

“No.” Anakin sighed. “Not yet. We need to visit someone first.” Anakin took hold of his partner’s hand, pulling him to his feet. “And hopefully,  _ he  _ can help us.”

 

“Who?”  Ross and Anakin began their stride toward the city, and Ross did not receive his answer right away. Instead, Anakin mentally prepared himself for the memories that began to flood his mind, and the anger he’d feel when it came time to face his former slaver.  

 

“Watto. You don’t know him now, but you will soon.”

 

OoOoOoOoOo

 

Luckily, the trio had taken water and more light items from the ship for survival, so making it to the town wasn’t too much of a hassle for them. They’d arrived rather quickly to their destination, and all the while, Ross gasped at the sight of so many non-humans. Anakin figured his planet wasn’t accustomed to having a variety of aliens, so this had to be new to him. Yet, the poor boy did not know how to stop staring, so for his own good, Anakin pulled his hood over his head. This way, the wrong person wouldn’t catch his innocent gaze.

 

They walked for only a few minutes when Anakin spotted a shaded area up against one of the buildings. There, a flying alien hovered looking suspiciously at the areas around him. 

 

“It’s a Toydarian!” Ross whispered, yanking on Anakin’s sleeves. “Look! He’s flying!”

 

All the anger Anakin had been saving for Watto seemed to vanish at Ross’ innocent and curious actions. It was hard to be furious. “Have you seen one before, Anakin?”

 

“Um...yeah, yeah I have.” Anakin softly admitted. “That’s actually who I have to go and speak to. Why don’t you wait here, with R2 for a while. It will only take a moment.

 

“He knows where your mom is?”

 

“I hope he does.” Anakin spoke, leaving his friend and droid behind as he approached his old slaver. The anger of years seemed to subside now. There was no forgiveness  or understanding, he simply realized that he only needed to question him for Shmi’s sake. Nothing else. It didn’t take him long to approach Watto and engage in conversation (Ross eventually followed,restraining himself from asking any questions). Much of what Watto and Anakin discussed was pointless until they actually got to talking about Shmi. Anakin had learned that she’d been bought by a farmer named Cliegg Lars who currently resided on a moisture farm.  The trio had come up with enough money to buy a vehicle that would get them across Tatooine and without any hesitation, headed to the Lars farm.

 

“Who was that? An old friend of yours?” Ross has asked after his excitement had died down, just a few moments after he’d boarded their transport. He yanked his hood off to get a better look at the view before them.

 

“No.” Anakin responded, a bit harsher than usual. “He was my old slaver.” 

 

And after that, Ross did not say a word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So they’ve finally made it to Tatooine! Next, their search for Shmi continues! If you liked it, please comment and tell me what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments from before!
> 
> ALSO, I changed some of this chapter bcs earlier, it was too damn sad lmao.

“Sorry...if I sounded harsh earlier.” Anakin had broken the silence. “About the slaver and--”

 

“You don’t have to apologize. I don’t think you were rude.” Ross replied. “You were just upset and I know why. I can only imagine how painful your past had to be...slavery is terrible. I didn’t know you had to go through it.”

 

“It isn’t something a lot of people know. I don’t trust a lot of people to tell but...I trust you.” He nudged Ross.

 

“I know how it is...too.” Ross whispered.

 

“What?” Anakin pressed, slightly confused.

 

“I know how it is to be a slave”

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

 

The home exceeded Anakin’s expectations.

 

It wasn’t a mansion, nor anything comparable to the skyscraper homes in Coruscant, but as a young slave boy in Tatooine, he had always dreamt of living in a house like this.That dream never came true for him, but at least his mother lived it.. While she was living here that was.

 

The family was extremely friendly and welcomed he and Ross right away. Anakin knew they had various opinions on him. Cliegg had never seen him before, but he’d heard so much about him from Shmi. Anakin only wondered how many times Cliegg and the others had questioned why he hadn’t come to see his mother. He wouldn’t blame them.

 

As the Cliegg spoke, everyone sat in silence.

 

Ross was rather quiet, eating his food. He’d already talked Cliegg’s ears off when Cliegg had introduced himself as a moisture farmer. Ross had no idea moisture farming existed, nor had no idea that anything like that was possible in the desert. He had a nice tour of the small crops before they all sat for lunch

 

Cliegg currently spoke in a somber tone, explaining the story from the moment Shmi was taken, to the moment he suspected she was dead. Anakin simply listened in silence. He never said a word against him, didn’t try to interrupt him. Anakin only sat there in disbelief--half upset that Cliegg didn’t try harder, half upset for him giving up hope. Anakin himself did not come all the way here, to find out his mother was dead. He did not abandon the Order and all he knew, only to find out he was too late.

 

He did not interrupt, he hardly stirred, but he refused to believe his mom was gone. Every so often, he looked Ross’ direction and noticed for the most part, he too seemed a little distant (he had tensed after the comments about the Tusken Raiders). Anakin would question him about it later, but for now he had his own work to do.

 

He stood, his eyes narrowed with the door in sight. He didn’t stop his stride until Cliegg looked his way, an expression of worry.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

Anakin paused at the question, visibly taken back that Cliegg would even think to ask. “To find my mother.”

 

“Your mother is dead son...accept it.”

 

Anakin didn’t say a word.

 

He left the room, and then the house for the air was tense. Outside the atmosphere was hot, but clear. He could rest, he could clear his mind before he did what he had to do. Everything was pointing toward Shmi being alive--him leaving the Order, the dreams...everything. The Force had worked in his favor, it wouldn’t give up on him now.

 

“It’s good that you have hope.” The soft voice of Ross echoed behind him, causing him to turn around. “If it means anything...I think she’s alive. And I think you’ll find her...”

 

He stood next to Anakin, extending a hand for support. Anakin took hold of it. “It means a lot Ross. Everything and anything you say, means a lot to me.” He squeezed his hand. “And when I find her, she’d love to meet you. And after that, we can move somewhere nice. With grass--”

 

“We?” Ross cut in, a faint smile on his face. “Me..too? I can come with you and your mother?”

 

“Of course.” Anakin frowned, his heart growing heavy. “After this, we’ll stay together, we’ll be together.” He squeezed Ross’ hand a bit tighter. “First, I need to rescue my mother. Please stay here.”

 

“What if I come--”

 

“No, this is dangerous. I don’t want you getting hurt--”

 

“What if you get hurt? You seem like the type of person who likes to walk into danger.” Ross drew his hand back, crossing his arms.

 

“You aren’t far off.” Anakin sighed. “Beru wanted to show you more mushrooms. Ross--please stay. I won’t be long.”

 

He had hopped on the transport and within a second, he was gone.

 

Ross stared on in the distance until his Anakin had vanished, and reluctantly turned away. It was then, he noticed R2 had emerged from inside the house. He approached Ross, simply rubbing himself up against his friend’s leg as they both look toward the horizon line. R2 hummed somberly, until Ross took a breath.

 

“I think we should go after him.”

 

R2 perked up in agreeance.

OoOoOoOoOoO

 

By the time Anakin had arrived to the Tusken village, night had already fallen.

 

However, he was wise enough to know that the shroud of darkness would not protect him from the Tuskens. So in silence, he crept about their camp until he gained a sense of familiarity with the place and until he recognized some of the symbols and objects that appeared in is dreams. The hutts for the most part were identical, but one in particular stood out to him. Without a second guess, he drew his saber and approached the structure, quietly slicing open an entryway for himself and crawling inside.

 

As he stood to his full height and surveyed the interior of the hutt, his heart nearly froze. His eyes widened and his breath grew rapid, for there in front of him was Shmi.

 

She was bruised and beaten, tied up to a post like a drying piece of meat. Anakin did not hesitate to untie her, using his own body as support to catch her from her fall, cradling her in his arms.

 

 _This is not how it’s supposed to be!_ He thought frantically, softly calling out her name.

 

“Mom...mom...I’m here mom.” He whispered, attempting to keep his voice low. He did not want to alert the Tusken’s.

 

“Annie...” _Finally,_ she responded, as if her son’s voice breathed a small bit of life into her. Her face lit up as she gazed upon him with an anguished expression. Yet her voice seemed void of any pain. She was simply happy to be with him, to be in his arms. “Oh...you look so handsome....I’m so proud of you Annie.”

 

“I missed you.” Anakin replied. “I left the Order to be with you...to rescue you. I’m not going back...you can come with me.”

 

Her eyes seemed to glaze she she continued on.

“N...now I am complete.” Shmi said, indicating to Anakin that she had not heard nor comprehended what he’s said before. It was as if he hadn’t even spoke for now, she was no longer looking at him, only _toward_ him. Her eyes were empty, and her Force was dwindling.

 

“I...I...l...love”

 

She didn’t finish.

 

Anakin felt her life slip between his fingers like sand. She went limp, her head fell back and her eyes closed.

 

For the first few moments Anakin felt emptiness as if his body had not registered that this happened. Next, the sadness crept and then...the anger. He had made it _this far,_ abandoned all he knew to save her only for her to die in his arms. The Force had led him here, only to break him? Was leaving the Order a mistake? Was this the Force’s cruel game to test his faith?

 

Regardless of what this was, the fury was spilling over. His anger was directed at the Force but also the Tusken. For they were the ones who killed his mother--who took her away. Without them, she’d still be there with him.

 

 _They_ needed to pay.

 

He rested his mother’s body upon the ground and without much thought, took hold of his saber.

 

He was acting on autopilot now as he stormed out of the hutt and in anger, decapitated the first two raiders sitting there on guard. By now, he had gained the attention of the others who had rushed toward him and with ease, he killed them. In the far off distance, some noticed the disadvantage and in fear, ran the opposite direction. Anakin wouldn’t let them get far however. If they retreated into their hutts he’d find them and slaughter them. No Tusken would survive that night.

 

“Anakin!” The voice momentarily brought him out of his rage as he looked ahead to see Ross running toward him. “Stop! What are you doing!”  His eyes were filled with horror and his voice stricken with fear.

 

“I thought I told you to wait at the house!”

 

“You can’t kill these people! They’re afraid!” Ross attempted to yank Anakin back toward the hutt Shmi was in, but Anakin retorted. He grabbed Ross wrist, hard, and glared at him before speaking. “ _They killed my mother. They’re savages!”_

 

“What would that make you then, if you killed them all?” Ross’ voice was quiet, and he was almost frightened. But he stood his ground, returning Anakin’s glare.

 

“Get out of here Ross, now! Go back to the house and wait until I get back! The last thing I need is you getting hurt and then I lose someone else I care about!” Ross didn't peel his gaze. "Not everyone you meet is friendly Ross, not everyone is worth saving! You're so damn naive!"

 

For a mere second, there was a change in Ross’ expression but he turned away. He yanked his wrist from Anakin’s grasp and headed the opposite direction. Anakin didn’t watch him go, but he felt guilty. Extremely guilty. He didn’t mean to hurt Ross--he didn’t even mean what he said. However, Anakin _had_ to continue what he’d started. His mother’s torturers had to suffer and no one, not even Ross would stop him.

 

By now, the village was silent. Anakin could still sense their Forces around and knew that they were hiding. The men, the women and children all of them hid. They knew he was a threat that they could not withstand, and no one would save them from their doom. They were by themselves, facing an enemy they knew would slaughter them. So they did not try to fight, or stand up, they all simply hid in their hutts together, waiting for the inevitable to happen.

 

Anakin went into the nearest hutt, his saber drawn and ready to kill. When he entered, he saw what he expected. A group of Tusken raiders, huddled in one of the corners. A whole family together, embracing one another as he approached.

 

It was then, Anakin’s hatred and anger vanished. With it, his saber extinguished and he just stared on at the family before him.

 

Ross words were still fresh in his mind, and he could no longer ignore them. He turned away without saying a word, back to the hutt with his mother. As he walked, he could see some sticking their heads from tents, hiding when they feared he could see them.

 

Anakin’s expression was dull, yet changed when he realized that Shmi...was gone.

 

OoOoOoOoO

 

“You shouldn’t get up so fast...” Ross spoke, sitting on a chair near Shmi’s bed. “Your wounds are still bad in some places.”

 

Shmi looked around disoriented, until her eyes rested on the boy next to her. “Where am I...what are these on me?”

 

“They’re bacta patches. The fluid in them can heal almost anything, I have more for later. You’ll be okay. And you’re home.”

 

“Who...who are you?” She gazed into Ross’ eyes and in silence, he looked down at his feet.

 

“I’m no one.” He responded. “Just a naive boy...”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy! And Shmi is alive and well. When Ross escaped Kamino he took a lot of things with him. Bacta patches and other medical supplies were on that list. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> And yes, Anakin is going to have to face what he said and did, and it won't be excused.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay!!

Anakin returned to the house, broken and empty. 

 

He had long given up searching for his mother in the Tusken camp, and had also abandoned his efforts in killing the raiders. They watched in silence when he left, only peering out when he’d grown a comfortable distance away. Anakin presumed they were burying their dead--he only wished he had that luxury. 

 

He was quiet when he entered the house, and realized that most everyone was gone. Beru was outside, tending to the moisture farms and had not noticed Anakin. He didn’t make a noise to signify he was there, he simply headed to his room in bitter defeat...

 

His heart stopped when he walked through the threshold however. 

 

“Annie!” The voice, tired and pained, yet  _ alive,  _ called out to him. Her arms were outstretched as she sat on his bed, beckoning her son to come to her. He did not hesitate to join her side, pulling her into a hug. She responded with the same energy,  nearly crushing Anakin as she held him.

 

There were tears of joy, and tears of sadness, yet there was a heavy relief off of Anakin’s chest. 

 

What he did--leaving the Order and coming this far wasn’t meaningless. Rescuing Shmi  _ wasn’t  _ for nothing. He held his mother, alive and breathing in his own arms. He had no idea how she arrived here (or if this was a dream--though the more he held her, the more he realized this was real), he was just happy she was there with him. And he’d never let her go again.

 

The two held each other for what seemed like hours before they disconnected. Anakin then observed Shmi’s body as he drew back, noting the bandages and gauze.

 

“Who...I don’t understand how you got here mother.” Anakin started, wiping some tears. “Did you bandage yourself?”

 

“No....” Shmi rested back down upon the bed, taking a breath and gazing at her son. “I was rescued...by a boy. He...he brought me here and fixed my bandages. He’s very skilled at what he does.”

 

Anakin perked up. “Was his name, Ross?”

 

“He said he didn’t have one...he was actually upset when I saw him.”

 

“I have to go.” Anakin leapt off of the bed, giving Shmi a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry mother I--”

 

“You left the Order to rescue me Anakin, I can be alone for awhile. I’m here.” She smiled. “Go find him.”

OoOoOoOoOoOo

 

Anakin was not surprised when he saw that Ross was not in his bedroom, though he grew slightly worried when he could not find him anywhere else in the house.  It wasn’t until he saw Beru alone outside, did he question her about his friend’s whereabouts, and there he finally found him. 

 

He was outside, just a few feet from the home near the mushrooms. This was where Shmi was when she was taken by the raiders, but Ross had nothing to worry about. Anakin had made sure of that, and as he approached Ross from the distance, he was not at all proud. 

 

His sins began to weigh down heavily upon him as he looked down at his friend, who was current sitting on the ground. Anakin’s first thought was to assume that he was picking mushrooms, however, the harder looked, he realized he was just playing in the sand. 

 

“You like sand...don’t you.” 

 

Ross didn’t say anything; only looked over his shoulder, glaring at Anakin. “Your mother is alive--maybe you should be inside with her.”

 

Anakin sat down near him, resulting in Ross moving away slightly. “I just got back from seeing her--”

 

“Then what are you here for, Anakin? I’m just a naive boy, remember? What need to you have to speak to me?”

 

“I’m here to apologize Ross.” Anakin didn’t attempt to sugarcoat, or dissuade the conversation. “What I said--”

 

“Apology accepted, goodbye.” Ross stood, dusting himself off, heading the opposite direction toward the house. Anakin groaned as he rose, rushing over toward his friend and softly grabbing his arm before he went to far.

 

“ _ Let me go!”  _ Ross ordered angrily. 

 

“We need to talk--”

 

“You already said all you wanted to ! When you were murdering those people! How many did you kill? Did you kill all of them? The women, the children? Did you slaughter them like they were animals?” He drew his arm back, but he was not done. “Or savages? Just like Cliegg called them--is that all sentient, living creatures are to you!? Things you can kill when you get angry!”

 

His voice held nothing short of fury, yet his eyes, they were sad. They were void of joy...he just seemed broken.  “How many more of them will you...or others kills...because they’re ‘savages’...does that make it alright then? Because everyone else...sees them that way....as...as less than....not deserving of basic ri...rights...”

 

Anakin was not surprised when Ross’ voice began to crack and then, it shattered. He pulled his smaller friend into a hug, and was surprised he Ross didn’t fight back. Ross certainly didn’t hug him back.

 

“I didn’t kill all of them Ross--I know it isn’t an excuse. It doesn’t bring back the ones I killed but...I stopped when you came. I  _ wanted _ to kill everyone else but you...you stopped me Ross. All I heard was your voice and I...I couldn’t go on. I only killed the ones you saw, and I’m sorry.” Anakin hadn’t even realized that his own voice began to crack, as he hugged Ross tighter. “I didn’t mean to yell at you....I didn’t mean to upset you. You’ve done so much for me. You saved me, you saved my mother! The last thing I wanted to do....was upset you. I have no excuse for the way I acted, there is no excuse for what I did...You don’t have to forgive me.” He broke the hug, and placed his hands on Ross’ shoulders. The younger boy’s eyes were puffy and he was sniffling, avoiding Anakin’s gaze only for a second. His tired eyes looked into Anakin’s eventually, silently beckoning him to speak. “I will  _ never  _ speak to you like that again...I will never act the way I did again Ross, I just want you to forgive me...I...I don’t want you to think I’m a monster!”

 

Ross wiped his eyes, and took a breath. He looked down at his shoes and then back at Anakin. “I...don’t think you’re a monster.” He managed. “I forgive you...just please...don’t ever do that again...you scared me...you scared those people...”

 

“I know, and I will never...be able to forgive myself.” Anakin closed his eyes, inhaling sharply as he looked into Ross’s eyes once again. “I’m just glad that...I have you.” He pulled Ross into another hug, and this time, Ross hugged him back.

 

“I’m so sorry Ross.” And he was. Even though he had apologized and was forgiven, he still felt ashamed. He still felt like a monster. 

 

“I forgive you, Anakin.” He heard Ross whisper. 

 

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

 

Anakin hadn’t slept for hours and neither had Ross. When Anakin arrived to the spare bedroom, he collapsed on the bed. 

 

“I guess I’ll see you later on, for dinner.” Ross spoke quietly as he stood in the doorway, leaving before Anakin had a chance to say another word. 

 

The older boy mentally cursed himself, wishing he had the strength to ask Ross to stay in his room with him.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

 

They arrived early to dinner that night, which was quick and for the most part filled with chatter. They spoke briefly about what happened with the raiders. Cliegg and Shmi spoke about anything, just attempting to push the events of her capture behind them.

 

The night ended with Ross, Beru and Owen washing the dishes.

 

Anakin noticed that Ross was quite talkative around them, and it almost made him sad that they’d be leaving them soon.

 

It didn’t take long for Anakin to return to his room, and Ross followed as expected. “Your commlink...it’s been beeping again.” He motioned toward the Jedi’s bag. “It’s been beeping all day...someone is trying to contact you.”

 

“The people I told you about.” Anakin spoke. “The people from my past.”

 

“From your past.” Ross sighed. “You have to tell them something...or they’ll never leave you alone.”

 

Anakin groaned, placing his head in his hands in annoyance. Ross sat on the bed next to him, rubbing his shoulder for comfort.  “I know it’s hard...to face your past. But if you want to be free, you have to face them. Just once.”

 

The former jedi perked up slowly, his eyes resting on his friend. “You’re right, Ross...I have an idea.”

OoOoOoOoOo

 

The suns were peaking above the horizon now, and Tatooine was filled with the warm air of twilight. 

 

Ross and Anakin sat a while from the home, as Anakin fiddled with his commlink, setting up a channel. He paused before he pressed the button, inhaling deeply and conjuring the strength he needed. 

 

“It’s okay.” Ross encouraged. “You can do it.”

 

Anakin nodded, and pressed the button. Automatically, a channel was opened, and the firm voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi was heard from the other side.

 

_ “Anakin! Anakin is that you--where are you?” _

 

“I’m on Tatooine mast--Obi-Wan. But I won’t be here for long, and after this, you will never hear from me again.”

 

_ “Anakin, return to the temple, immediately! You have no idea what you are doing--what you have done. You have let so many people down--” _

 

“The only person I’ve let down, is myself, Obi-Wan.” Anakin breathed. “All you and the others did was manipulate me. You took a terrified boy ,who had nothing, and tried to turn him into a weapon! You built me up, put this idea of grandeur in everyone’s mind....made them think that  _ I  _ was some chosen one, that it is was my responsibility--”

 

_ “What we did for you was save your life! We saved you from a life of slavery and gave you a home--” _

 

“You took me away from my mother! You brought me to a place that shamed me for having emotions--shamed me for  _ loving!” _

 

_ “Attachments are dangerous Anakin! We did not mean to shame you! We...I only wanted to help you!” _

 

“My attachments  _ saved  _ me!  My attachments...I’m  _ happy  _ now Obi-Wan, I think I’m in love.” Anakin felt his cheeks redden at that, but decided not to chance a glance at Ross at that moment. “You are wrong, the Order is wrong! I am not the  _ chosen  _ one, and it was unfair to put that burden on me, a child.”

 

_ So many are depending on you! Your life...your training...being a Jedi...are you willing to give that up? To throw it all away and disappoint all those who looked up to you Anakin? Think of all your mother sacrificed...all I’ve--” _

 

“Master, I want the last time we speak to one another to be...on neutral terms. I’m sorry you feel that way but I...I can’t let you, or anyone else stop me from doing what makes me happy. Not now, not ever again.” Obi-Wan attempted to speak, but Anakin cut him off. “I beg you, as a friend...to one day see the Order for what it really is. They’ve corrupted you, but like me, you can see the light. You--we are meant for so much more. Not simply what the Order has made us out to be.”

 

There was a silent pause, save for the air that flowed over the planet’s surface. Anakin pondered on telling him that his mother had survived, but now wasn’t the time. Perhaps there would never be a time.

 

_ “Is that all, Anakin?”  _ Obi-Wan attempted to sound angry, but Anakin could feel the sadness in his voice, so would not patronize him. “ _ I am very dissapointed but more hurt. I will miss you.” _

 

“Maybe one day, we’ll meet again, old friend.” Anakin hovered over the device. “May the Force be with you, Obi-Wan.”

 

Obi-Wan ended the channel , and Anakin held the device. Within in a second, he crushed it in his hands, tossing the discarded pieces on the ground. 

 

“Anakin?” Ross whispered quietly. “It’s--”

 

Anakin pulled him into another hug, tighter this time. Ross hugged back, gazing into the anguished eyes of his friend, offering him any comfort he could. Anakin’s lips eventually made their way to Ross’ forehead then eventually his lips before they broke apart, resuming a normal hug and for a long time, the two remained that way until dusk had fallen. 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment if you liked it :D

**Author's Note:**

> hope you like it! another multi-chaptered fic i'm starting up.


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